Cheapskate stories

[XRogue]

My best cheapskate story is about my uncle George. His daughter came to stay with him for 3 weeks last year while she looked for an apartment. Uncle has an unfinished apartment in his basement (In this case unfinished means the basement is finished out into a one bedroom apartment with bathroom and kitchenette. Everything is functional and walled, except there are no appliances in the kitchenette.)

Apparently Uncle didn't want to turn on the electricity in the apartment to save money. So his daughter was taking cold showers in the dark (windowless) bathroom for 10 days or so until she persuaded him to have the electric turned on. She did have a camping lantern for light. 

[SheltieMom]

My favorite bridal shower gift these days is a set of Pyrex baking dishes with the couple's monogram etched on the bottom. The set I like does not come in a box, so it is very hard to wrap and too heavy for a bag. I've started wrapping them in flour-sack towels. They don't look fancy, but at least they're practical.

[RegionMom]

My stepdad is supposed to be quite the handyman and skilled woodworker. 

he put in new floors for mom in the kitchen, and it only took just over a couple of months.  Oh, the edges do not go flush to the wall, he needs to buy/make the edging/baseboards.  But that will come sometime.

He says he is going to fix the paneling behind the stove, which currently has a plywood board over it, and holes for the electrical wires sticking out if it.  I have a baby pic of my son in someone's arms, with the plywood in the background.  Said son is now 17 1/2.

Stepdad has currently, at least since before May, been working on new cabinets for mom.  This is her on-going kitchen remodel, which began back when my kids were in junior high (now jr and sr in HS)

She told me yesterday that the cabinets are almost done!  Well, I was actually almost impressed!
Then she told me that once he finished up the last bit of work, then he has to stain them. 
Then he has to re-wire the electrical.  That means attic work.  Temps are still in the 90's.
then he has to hang them.
then do the knobs/handles.
etc...

I realized they may not be done by Christmas.

But, she is saving money by having him do it! 

Oh, both are full-time retired, and financially secure. 

She would rather be put out for months, and annoyed for years, than pay a contractor to get it done.

We had laminate flooring installed this year and it was done in 1 1/2 days, including moving the furniture, hauling off the carpet, cutting around weird corners, painting and installing matching baseboards, and re-placing the furniture.

I think I got the better deal.

[Sara Crewe (previously Tia2)]

I think this is a fairly good definition of a cheapskate - someone who will accept massive inconvenience and personal discomfort (and be happy to inflict said discomfort on others) to save a few dollars.  Doing something that saves money without significant trouble (like taking a coffee from home not going to a coffee shop) is just being thrifty.

[rain]

my dad would insist that anything a pro could do he could be better and cheaper (never saw proof of that)

there was one year that we were missing part of an outside wall & dad never did get around to finishing that project ... once mom had proof that she needed to hire it done (it was late enough in the fall that we could see our breath in the mornings) she got someone else to finish it. 

Mom (& the neighbors) learned not to mention anything that might be overheard by dad ... so that mom could hire it done without dad trying to do it himself

[Shalamar]

I think I've mentioned him before, but I have a coworker who took four years to do his inground pool himself.   FOUR YEARS!   And he can't stop bragging about how much money he saved.  'Kay.

[veronaz]

(Hope it's okay to revive this thread)

Heard this one today:

Man and woman ordered cold drinks at inside counter of a fast food place.  At the self-serve condiment area they took a huge bunch of napkins, handfuls of sugar packets, and the woman looked around quickly and took an empty plastic container from her purse and filled it with ketchup from the pump.  Then they drove away in a fancy car.

[RegionMom]

DH came home from work with a bit of "news" he had jsut heard- if you want to imbibe, eat yeast before going out so you will get less buzzed!

I just looked at him, and told him that I learned that 20 years ago, when I saw girls back freshman year in college eating lots of bread before going out to party that night, "so the beer would absorb better."

had to be the same idea.

My response back then, and now, as a non-drinker (tastes yucky to me, have been to wine tastings, oh well) was, "why would you want LESS effect?  I would want my money's worth and to feel the alcohol!"

I have saved lots of money by not drinking. 

[PastryGoddess]

DH came home from work with a bit of "news" he had jsut heard- if you want to imbibe, eat yeast before going out so you will get less buzzed!

I just looked at him, and told him that I learned that 20 years ago, when I saw girls back freshman year in college eating lots of bread before going out to party that night, "so the beer would absorb better."

Well those two are very different things.  The yeast in bread is dead, it's killed off in the heating and fermentation process.  Active yeast is alive.  I know that yeast dies around 14% alcohol, not sure if stomach acid is strong enough to kill it though

[doodlemor]

DH came home from work with a bit of "news" he had jsut heard- if you want to imbibe, eat yeast before going out so you will get less buzzed!

I just looked at him, and told him that I learned that 20 years ago, when I saw girls back freshman year in college eating lots of bread before going out to party that night, "so the beer would absorb better."

had to be the same idea.

My response back then, and now, as a non-drinker (tastes yucky to me, have been to wine tastings, oh well) was, "why would you want LESS effect?  I would want my money's worth and to feel the alcohol!"

I have saved lots of money by not drinking. 

Just love your sense of humor, RegionMom.  You're so right, too!

[jedikaiti]

Actually, according to the article, the yeast breaks down the alcohol before it gets absorbed - well, some of it. Bread, it seems to me, would just absorb it and delay absorption by your body. Someone who knows better can feel free to correct me.

Personally, I drink beer because I love the taste, and while the milder effects (tongue loosening, relaxant) are pleasant, I do not enjoy inebriation. And since the beers I really like tend to have higher ABV (alcohol by volume), and don't come in non-alcohol versions, well, I may be testing out the yeast trick very soon.

[artk2002]

Actually, according to the article, the yeast breaks down the alcohol before it gets absorbed - well, some of it. Bread, it seems to me, would just absorb it and delay absorption by your body. Someone who knows better can feel free to correct me.

Personally, I drink beer because I love the taste, and while the milder effects (tongue loosening, relaxant) are pleasant, I do not enjoy inebriation. And since the beers I really like tend to have higher ABV (alcohol by volume), and don't come in non-alcohol versions, well, I may be testing out the yeast trick very soon.

Yeast doesn't metabolize alcohol. Alcohol is a by-product of yeast metabolism; that's what fermentation is. Yeast-pee if you will. Some yeast strains can survive in the human gut. There's a documented phenomenon of people being drunk without drinking. Their flora produce enough alcohol to intoxicate them.

Most yeasts die off at fairly low alcohol concentration. It depends on the strain but your average baking yeast probably gives up around 4% ABV. Wine yeasts can survive up to about 14%.

There are bacteria that metabolize alcohol. Saccaromyces sanfrancisco is what makes sourdough in a symbiotic relationship with the yeast. "Mother of vinegar" contains alcohol eating bacteria, resulting in vinegar.

I doubt that eating yeast can prevent or limit intoxication. Eating any kind of food will slow alcohol absorbtion.

[artk2002]

One thing... Mrs.k2002 pointed out that yeast is fairly high in vitamin B12, which may help with intoxication. Take a B12 pill instead of the yeast.

[jedikaiti]

OK, I REALLY want Mythbusters to do an ep on this now.

[PastryGoddess]

One thing... Mrs.k2002 pointed out that yeast is fairly high in vitamin B12, which may help with intoxication. Take a B12 pill instead of the yeast.

B12 is also what a lot of those energy drinks contain.